o lo que seas, Experimentos Semánticos en El Archivo John J. Wilcox, Jr.
2021
Screenprint on paper
o lo que seas brings together a collection of phrases from Central and South American LGBT newspapers, magazines, and advocacy group newsletters that include instances of gender-inclusive language from the 1960s to the 90s found in the John J. Wilcox, Jr. archives. While today many Spanish speakers embrace the use of ampersands, asterisks, or the letters x and e to neutralize gendered grammar, the phrases collected in this work demonstrate an early impetus in this movement that prioritized the inclusion of feminine pronouns in general addresses and calls to action. Many of these manifest through the use of slashes or parentheses to create two reading options while conjuring a third space in their slippages.
Installation photos by Gordon Stillman.